Food, and some Other Stuff

Blackberry Shortcake with Grilled Peaches

Summer is here! This past week was the summer solstice which officially marks the beginning of summer. For me, summer brings about fond memories, including lots of iconic foods. Creemees, burgers on the grill, corn on the cob, watermelon: all foods that are classic summer favorites. One dish that particularly sticks out in my memory is Strawberry Shortcake. When I was a kid, my grandma would take me out strawberry picking each summer and I would proceed to gorge myself on strawberries in the field and forget to save any to take home. Luckily for me, grandma always had plenty to go around. When we would get back from picking, she would make these great homemade biscuits and top them with the fresh strawberries. In my mind, nothing says classic quite like that which is why I chose to reinvent this classic for the 26th week of Reddit’s 52 Weeks of Cooking Challenge.

The first recipe for strawberry shortcake appears in 1850’s Ladies’ New Receipt Book by author Eliza Leslie (under the name Miss Leslie) who was known for incorporating classic French elements into the developing style of American cuisine. Leslie recommended a special pastry crust falling somewhere between bread and cookie dough. The term shortcake actually comes from the process of making the dough, in which butter or lard was used to shorten the fibrous structure of the dough. The dough was rolled out thicker than pie dough, cut into rounds and baked until the puffed and crisped. In her typical French style, Leslie garnished her cakes lavishly with fresh fruits, berries and icing. As with many dishes, time ran it’s course and the elegant preparation first described evolved into a more casual, free-form dessert. The classic icing was eventually replaced by whipped cream and the strawberry shortcake came into the shape we most recognize it by today. For my reinvention of this classic dish, I chose to draw on a few more staples of summer.

Traditionally, whatever summer fruits were available at the time were used, whether it be cherries, raspberries or blueberries. For mine, I went with blackberries and peaches. Blackberries and peaches are a great combo for desserts. There’s contrasts between sweet and tart, firm and soft, and in this case hot and cold. I prepared the blackberries in the traditional way by simply coating them in sugar and letting the natural juices break down the fruit. For the peaches, I wanted to add a different twist by grilling them to get more of the caramelized sugar flavors. I piled my fruits onto a delicious homemade buttermilk biscuit and topped with fresh whipped cream. While my memories of strawberry picking as a kid flooded my mind, the flavor almost couldn’t have been different. Sweet, tart, roasty and buttery, this take on the classic shortcake is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Buttermilk Biscuits,adapted from Ad Hoc at Homeby Thomas Keller

makes about 12 biscuits

All-purpose flour, 4 cups minus 4 tablespoons

Cornstarch, 4 tablespoons

Kosher Salt, 4 teaspoons

Baking Powder, 1 tablespoon

Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon

Butter, diced, chilled, 2 sticks or 1/2 pound

Buttermilk, 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons

Butter, melted, 3 tablespoons

Preheat oven to 425. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Pulse to combine evenly. Add chilled butter and pulse to combine. The butter should be about the size of hazelnuts. Transfer to a large bowl. Create a well in the center of the flour and add 1 1/2 cups buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon, mix gently to bring dough together. The dough should be loose and easy to work. Roll out to 1/2 – 3/4 inch on a lightly floured surface. Cut out in rounds using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Combine scrap dough, roll out, and cut again. Discard remaining dough. Transfer biscuits to a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with remaining buttermilk. Bake until raised and lightly browned, about 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Serve warm or cooled.